Parliamentary questions

460. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the steps that are being taken to ensure urgent access to the medication welireg (belzutifan) (details supplied); whether compassionate or exceptional access mechanisms are available while national reimbursement processes are ongoing; the safeguards currently in place to protect such patients from avoidable permanent harm during administr…

461. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Health the action her Department and the HSE have taken on the proposed introduction of a national programme for the safe disposal of unused medications in the community in line with EU Directive 2001/83/EC; if she will commit to pursuing this matter further with a view to establishing a safe, consistent and accessible return system through community …

462. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to expedite orthodontic treatment in respect of a child (details supplied); to confirm whether the HSE is refusing to approve replacement posts for retired orthodontists in the Cork/Kerry region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7335/26]

463. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if the HSE is refusing to approve replacement posts for now retired orthodontists in the Cork/Kerry region (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7337/26]

181. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of the number of occupational therapists in County Meath for the period 2020 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6789/26]

182. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the number of occupational therapists in primary care in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6790/26]

183. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health to give attention to an issue (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6654/26]

184. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health for an update on the new framework agreements on the pricing and supply of medicines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6669/26]

185. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Health the budget which has been provided to a group (details supplied) for 2026 from the HSE; the difference in funding from 2025 and 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6670/26]

186. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Health if she plans to continue the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme into the future; the way in which the ongoing review by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) will inform long-term decisions on RSV immunisation; the expected timelines for the publication of HIQA’s full health technology assessment; and if she w…

187. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Health if she will increase the qualifying income limits for a medical card in respect of those over 70 years, as these limits have not been increased since 2020 with no consideration allowed for any pro-rata public service pensions or State pension (contributory); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6698/26]

188. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the contingency plan and guidance in place and issued by the HSE in response to the shortages of certain salbutamol products; the list of salbutamol products which are approved for reimbursement; whether each of these is in stock; the availability of substitute products for which a reimbursement price has not been agreed but which have been…

189. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the expected timeline for the full implementation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy, following the recommendation of the National Screening Advisory Committee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6716/26]

190. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the reason for the ongoing delays in fully implementing previously approved additions to the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6717/26]

191. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if, as a result of understaffing in public health nurse services in Dublin, follow-up checks on infants at three months and at nine to 11 months are not being conducted, and follow-up checks promised within 48-hours of hospitalisation of infants are also not taking place within that timeframe; and if she will make a statement on the matte…

192. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health the appropriate staffing numbers and actual staffing numbers for public health nurse services in Dublin; and the measures she intends to take to address understaffing in these services. [6729/26]

193. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if she, her Department, or the Health Service Executive is aware of complaints by a person (details supplied) in relation to understaffing of public health nurse services, and if so when they intend to respond. [6730/26]

194. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for surgery will be expedited for a person (details supplied). [6767/26]

195. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Health the supports or services available to persons seeking an assessment for autism in County Louth born before 1 June 2002; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6770/26]

196. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Health if her Department has considered the funding of pilot programmes to support volunteer-led or volunteer-supported initiatives within dementia care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6785/26]

197. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the primary service provider that a person should attend with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) arising from sensory issues; and if, in the case that a child presents with ARFID from sensory issues should a GP refer them to CAMHS or to primary care. [6787/26]

198. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the current number of occupational therapists in CAMHS in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6788/26]

199. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she will address the overcrowding in the accident and emergency department, and the trolley crisis, at University Hospital Kerry as a matter of priority by expediting the development of the new 108-bed block on the hospital campus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6791/26]

200. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the expenditure cost under the community drug scheme for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors with associated systems for each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; the number of patients availing of CGM sensors under the scheme for each year; the number of those patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes; and if she will make a statement o…

201. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if she will sanction a HIQA review on the effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring for type 2 diabetes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6793/26]